Rating in words: appropriately nostalgic, suitable for rocking out in a ridiculous fashion.

Steelwing, Steelwing, how happy you make me. They were one of the supporting bands on a Sabaton tour in late 2010 which had Belgrade as one of the dates, and friends of mine who went to the show have spent a good chunk of 2011 trying to persuade me to check them out. And I stubbornly ignored their suggestions for some stupid reason. When I finally gave a listen to Steelwing's debut, I thought: "This type of decent band usually screws up on the second album and fades into obscurity, never to issue anything good again."

I'm glad to say I was wrong.

Firstly, if you dislike everything Iron Maiden released in the 80's, avoid this like the plague (and probably turn yourself in to the police too, because you're the type of person that hates cute baby animals, you FREAK). Secondly, don't think it's pure Maiden-worship with no redeeming qualities that will make you pause it and play Powerslave instead. Listening to Zone Of Alienation only makes you crave more Zone Of Alienation.

Retro metal-playing bands, this is how it's done. Wearing your influences on your sleeve does not equal being unoriginal and not inspired, playing an old style doesn't mean it can't sound youthful and vibrant. The performance is pretty tight (I'm going to steal Lyrinan's "tighter than the band's jeans" expression here), especially Riley's vocals which show signs of great improvement, but the band's greatest "magnet" is their composing abilities. Everything is made to sing along and air-guitar to, everything is fast, everything is cheerful, and when the band goes into ballad mode ("Breathless") it still rocks.

Writing reviews like these is hard, because, while I know that this isn't everyone's cup of tea, I'm pretty sure it has that universal metal spirit and enough quality to appeal to a lot of metalheads if it's promoted in the right way. The only question is whether enough dudes and dudettes will decide that a revamp of 80's metal is worth their time or will they just listen to their old records over and over again? If you still aren't convinced, head to their Youtube channel for some samples. If it doesn't make you smile - too bad, you're missing out.

I like baby animals too much to torture their ears with that kind of outdated crap.
Traditional Heavy Metal needs to die.

----
They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink
They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end
But everybody's only looking out for themselves
And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody

"Firstly, if you dislike everything Iron Maiden released in the 80's, avoid this like the plague (and probably turn yourself in to the police too, because you're the type of person that hates cute baby animals, you FREAK)."
Amen.

I like baby animals too much to torture their ears with that kind of outdated crap.
Traditional Heavy Metal needs to die.

Is it really so hard to accept that a lot of people still have a healthy appreciation for traditional heavy metal? And not just the old school rockers clinging to their cherished memories, but the hordes of younger fans that discover Iron Maiden (or whoever!) for the first time and love it just as much? Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of new stuff as well (I'm only 26), various stylistic evolutions etc, but there's still much to be said for rocking the fuck out - just because you feel something is past its expiry doesn't mean other people can't enjoy it. Live and let live - stop being such a cynical little bastard!

Also, I think it would be fair to say that any type of music, played at an adequate volume, would be considered torture towards baby animals.

Back on topic, this album sounds awesome, and the review was very well-written. I look forward to checking it out!

I like baby animals too much to torture their ears with that kind of outdated crap.
Traditional Heavy Metal needs to die.

Is it really so hard to accept that a lot of people still have a healthy appreciation for traditional heavy metal? And not just the old school rockers clinging to their cherished memories, but the hordes of younger fans that discover Iron Maiden (or whoever!) for the first time and love it just as much? Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of new stuff as well (I'm only 26), various stylistic evolutions etc, but there's still much to be said for rocking the fuck out - just because you feel something is past its expiry doesn't mean other people can't enjoy it. Live and let live - stop being such a cynical little bastard!

Also, I think it would be fair to say that any type of music, played at an adequate volume, would be considered torture towards baby animals.

Back on topic, this album sounds awesome, and the review was very well-written. I look forward to checking it out!

I was just suggesting that the person who has the heart to hate music such as 80's Iron Maiden also hates baby animals... it was a bit of a joke of course, I know plenty of non-metalheads who squeal at the sight of internet kittens and such.

Anyway, RavenKing has a firm stance against these forms of revivalist metal, he thinks they're redundant, so you've just prepared a long-winded response for yourself But I'd suggest dropping the debate all together, since you two obviously don't agree, so it's a bit pointless.

----
"There comes a time when you look into the mirror and you realize that what you see is all that you will ever be. And then you accept it. Or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors."